


What a terrible friend

by itsnotlove



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Friendship, High School, Middle School, Raijin Days, Shinra and Izaya's friendship through the ages, some implied shizaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 20:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9201941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotlove/pseuds/itsnotlove
Summary: Shinra and Izaya have been friends for a long time.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jackinthejukebox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackinthejukebox/gifts).



> I hope I tagged the right Jack!

**_Middle school..._ **

  
  
  
  


Each step seemed to reverberate through Izaya’s body, his too-tight shoes pinching his feet in all the wrong places and begging him to slow down. An awful fluttering in his stomach crept out through his limbs, making him feel nauseous despite his confident inner dialogue. The only thing that kept him sprinting down the concrete street was his burning desire to prove to himself that he could do this.

 

He could run directly at the wall and climb it, even though it was three feet taller than him. He could defy gravity and reach the pinnacle. This wouldn’t be another failure; this would be his next success.

 

With renewed vigor, Izaya grit his teeth and pushed himself harder. He wasn’t afraid of pain, he was afraid of failure- but failure was no longer an option. He could do this-  _ would  _ do this! He just needed to jump without fear.

 

Another step pinched his toes, and was followed by a second that stung his heel. After that, his calves were set alight by his sudden jump, and he was flying feet first toward the wall. As soon as his first foot connected, Izaya forced himself to spring up off it, and the tip of his other foot grazed the concrete slab. His arms reached out high above him, clawing for the edge, and he couldn’t help but grin as his fingers brushed-

 

“Orihara-kun!”

 

The chipper voice surprised Izaya, and he was falling backward before he had a chance to stop it. He landed hard on his back with a groan, barely managing to catch his head before it landed on the pavement with him. 

 

“I brought the first aid kit!”

 

“Fantastic.”

  
  
  
  


**

  
  
  
  


It should have felt more awkward for Izaya to sit on the curb with the back of his school shirt pulled over his head. Even if it was dark and the streets were only filled with lights from the occasional car passing by, it wasn’t the sort of position any person truly thought to be wonderful. The sting of something cold and wet sliding over the grazes on his back stopped him thinking too deeply about it. It was more familiar than it should be, and somehow managed to comfort him despite his most recent failure.

 

“You almost did it this time, Orihara-kun.” Shinra chirped as he cleaned the grazes happily, apparently unaware of how he’d ruined Izaya’s morning. “Maybe next time you’ll get it. Or maybe you’ll break a leg! I haven’t used a splint since last year, when Shi-”

 

“Shinra,” Izaya sighed, his face scrunched in frustration, “shut up.”

 

“There’s no need to be embarrassed! You’re already pathetic to me!”

 

The cool sting that was being dragged across the scraped up back was soon replaced with a different sensation, and Izaya had a feeling that colourful plasters were being stuck to him. They were largely unnecessary, as they always were, but he made no move to stop Shinra from using them. 

 

When he was finally free and Shinra had stopped his mindless prattling, Izaya readjusted his shirt and stood slowly. He’d narrowly avoided a head wound, but the fall still had him dizzy and made it difficult for him to stand still. If only Shinra were more reliable and less likely to inflict greater damage, he might have been able to ask for help, but as things were… Well, pretending to be unaffected could be good practice.

 

“Can I ask you something?” Shinra tucked his kit under an arm and beamed at Izaya, only to receive a shrug in return. “Why are you running up walls?”

 

Izaya sighed loudly, as if it were the stupidest question he’d ever been asked, and slowly started to walk in the direction of his home. “I want to see if I can.”

 

“You said the same thing when I bandaged your fingers.” At some point, Shinra had stood and followed Izaya, and the latter hadn’t noticed just how close behind he was. “You’re playing with knives and running up walls, just to see if you can? I’m glad you’re hurting yourself, because Celty gets so proud when I tell her I’m nursing my friend back to health!”

 

“Only you would call someone a friend and say you’re glad they’re injured in the same sentence, Shinra.”

 

“Eh?” Shinra bumped his shoulder against Izaya’s childishly. “Well, you’re helping me look good for Celty, and isn’t that the main thing?”

 

“How your invisible friend sees you is more important than my safety?”

 

“I’m glad you understand, Orihara-kun!” Though it was a question, Shinra heard it as a statement. “But she’s not invisible!”

  
  
  
  


**

  
  
  
  


**_High school…_ **

  
  
  
  


[Who’s this??]   
[Is he okay???]   
[What happened?!?]   
[You never bring friends here!!!]   
[Did you kidnap him????]   
[What did you do?!?!]

 

As Shinra walked Izaya into his apartment, Celty panicked around them. She wanted to help the boy Shinra had brought home, but she was so surprised that he’d brought anyone home at all that she couldn’t do anything other than thrust her PDA into his face.

 

“This is Orihara-kun, he’s a childhood friend from school!”

 

The boy, Orihara, scoffed. “Aren’t you afraid of people knowing that?”

 

“Of course not!” Shinra shoved Izaya into a chair at the dining room table, and walked around the room in search of a first aid kit. “Being charitable makes me look more appealing!”

 

“I don’t think you understand what charity is.”

 

“Sure I do!” Shinra returned with a kit and sat himself by Izaya at the table. “Being friends with you is community servi-”

 

[Shinra!!!]

 

Even though Shinra couldn’t see the message written for him on Celty’s PDA, he had a feeling he was being scolded and apologise regardless. Unused to seeing Shinra apologise, or do anything all that human, Izaya chuckled.

 

Was this the one that Shinra placed above all others?

 

“I think I broke a nail.”

 

“You still can’t run up walls?”

 

“I can.” Izaya countered quickly. “It was just difficult to dodge the street sign.”

 

[Street sign?!]

 

With a chuckle that matched Izaya’s, Shinra pulled out an alcohol wipe and started cleaning Izaya’s nails. “I was hoping you two would be friends.”

 

“I only love humans, Shinra. I’m not weird like you.”

 

“If you love all humans, then shouldn’t you love Shizuo-kun?”

 

[Shizuo?]

 

**_BANG BANG BANG._ **

 

**_THUMP._ **

 

The sound of a door being ripped off its hinges interrupted the conversation, and Celty ran toward the entrance. Shizuo growled, indignant and frustrated, and the air whipped around the door he waved menacingly above him.

 

“I’ll never love Shizu-chan.”

 

“You really shouldn’t call him that.” Shinra smiled, and didn’t spare so much as a glance toward Celty and Shizuo. Celty was the best, so it wasn’t like she was in any danger.

 

“That’s it?” Confused, Izaya wondered if Shinra had heard him state such an out of character thing. He loved all humans, so wasn’t it strange that he’d suddenly decided he’d never love one of them?

 

“That’s it.”

 

Despite the roar coming from the entrance of the apartment, Izaya was sure he heard Shinra laughing.

  
  
  
  


**

  
  
  
  


**_University…_ **

  
  
  
  


“Shizuo will be glad to hear that you’re still getting beat up!” Shinra laughed as he let himself into the small dorm room. His laughter was soon cut short, however, when he noticed a very uninjured Izaya sitting on the edge of his bed. “You aren’t injured?”

 

With a large smile, Izaya shook his head. “It’s the only way to get you here.”

 

“But that won’t stop me from leaving!” Shinra turned to the door, but stopped just short of opening it. Izaya was far too easy to read, and though he wasn’t injured, there did seem to be something strange about him. “What do you want?”

 

The temperature of the room dropped, and Shinra turned himself back around. Though Izaya’s smile was still fixed firmly in place, there was something strange lurking behind it.

 

“I was curious, and wanted a refresher course on how to treat a stab wound.”

 

“Just out of interest?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You don’t remember how to do it?” Shinra took a few steps toward Izaya, and smiled kindly. “You did a terrible job on me when I was st-”

 

Izaya held up a hand to stop Shinra’s sentence, and shifted uncomfortably on the bed.

 

“That weird guy said I should be careful.”

 

“The guy online who bullies you?”

 

“I’m not being bullied, Shinra.”

 

“You definitely are. I wish I could buy him a gift, or give him my thanks!”

 

“I’m not.” Izaya’s face scrunched into an expression of irritation. “But he said that someone at school was planning something. If they do it, then it’ll be in the back-”

 

“And you’ll die.”

 

“Your bedside manner is terrible.”

 

“If you’re stabbed, just call and I’ll see if I have time to come fix you.”

 

“Shouldn’t you tell me to call an ambulance?”

 

“If you do that, then you’ll die because of all the attention you’re getting.” Shinra smiled again, but made no further move forward. “Have you seen Shizuo since we left school? He’s working at a car wash now.”

 

On the bed, Izaya shifted uncomfortably again.

 

“Orihara-kun, do you have a fever?” Shinra dropped his medicine bag and closed the distance between himself and Izaya quickly. His hand moved to Izaya’s face, and he pressed the back of his fingers against the steadily darkening skin of his forehead. “Are you sick? You’re burning up!”

 

“I want to die!”

 

“Suicidal ideation and a fever? Izaya-kun, get in bed. I’ll get you some medicine.”

  
  
  
  


**

  
  
  
  


**_Present…_ **

  
  
  
  


[That man]

 

Celty paused, unsure of whether or not she should continue. It was true that asking questions like this could bring up terrible memories for Shinra, but at the same time, she didn’t feel as though he’d be terribly hurt by the question.

 

[That man, the one who broke in. It looks like he’s disappeared]

 

“I hate it when you talk about other men.” Shinra pouted, having read the message over Celty’s shoulder from where he was propped up in bed. 

 

[I’m not talking about him like that!]

 

“Talking about him at all is terrible! You should only talk about me!”

 

It was only the knowledge that every bone in Shinra’s body was broken that saved him from a firm punch.

 

[Where do you think he went?]

 

Celty paused again, and added another message quickly.

 

[I won’t let him come back]

 

Despite his pout, Shinra chuckled.

 

[Why are you laughing? If he comes back, then I’ll]

 

What  _ would  _ she do?

 

[I’ll]

 

“He won’t come back.”

 

[How do you know that?]

 

Shinra laughed again, this time at the memory of the text he’d been sent. Of course, he’d deleted it immediately, though he knew that Celty wasn’t one to be jealous and check his phone. There was no telling which she’d find more scandalous: Adabashi’s capture and subsequent beating, or the fact that both Shizuo and Izaya were the ones administering it.

 

[Shinra?]

[Can you hear me?!]

[You’re acting strangely]

[I’m going to call Emilia]

[Wait here!!!]

 

Celty launched herself off the bed and hurried out of the room. Though he couldn’t see her, Shinra knew she was gesturing wildly as she tried to talk into the phone.

 

As Shinra sat in bed, smiling at that mental image, he couldn’t help but believe Celty had been right to force him into making friends. If he hadn’t, then he wouldn’t be able to reassure her, and that simply wouldn’t be good enough.

 

Maybe Izaya had been worth all the trouble, after all.


End file.
